


cissa's child

by gothzabini (girl412)



Series: who would've thought? [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Coming Out, Family Feels, Gen, Genderfluid Character, I hope?, me trying my best with questionable success, old photographs, reminiscences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 04:42:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 629
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14686710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girl412/pseuds/gothzabini
Summary: When Andromeda tells Draco about Tonks, she doesn't anticipate the response she gets. But when you love your family, things are usually alright in the end.





	cissa's child

**Author's Note:**

> It's been really long since i wrote something like this, so if there's anything about it that seems off, let me know and i'll fix it <3  
> also, look at me being the epitome of last minute submissions.  
> @ the mods, thank you for tolerating this, and Sorry!!!!

Draco’s perched on the very edge of the sofa, staring at the old photographs stuck on Aunt Andi’s wall. The pictures feature his cousin Tonks, but she doesn’t look particularly feminine in the picture. In fact, if Draco didn’t know better – 

 

“Oh, you’re staring at darling Tonks, are you?” Andromeda sits in the chair across Draco, her expression serious. She meets Draco’s eyes before Draco looks away, feeling oddly transparent. 

 

“Tell me about Tonks,” Draco says.

 

Andromeda’s silent for a moment, but then she does. Once the words start coming, they won’t stop. She talks about Nymphadora condemning her name, saying it didn’t fit her. She talks about how Tonks spent classes befriending people and trying to organise a well-co-ordinated team of sorts. She talks about Tonks and her resilience, Tonks and her bad sense of humour. She talks about Tonks’s summer projects, her dreams, her ability to play almost any musical instrument after five minutes of fiddling around with it, her clumsiness, her affinity for Muggle academia, especially something called Physics.

 

Draco feels oddly empty. “I never got to know her.” 

 

Andromeda nods. “You would’ve liked her.”

 

Draco’s silent for a minute. Then, hesitantly: “Aunt Andi, why is Tonks dressed like that? Is it a metamorphmagi thing? She doesn’t look like a girl in that picture.”

 

Andromeda looks at the picture for a moment. Draco’s right, but it’s not just her clothes. There’s something else about Tonks that seems to remain alive in the picture, even after she’s passed away, giving the photograph version an uncannily realistic edge. Andi thinks it’s enough to make her cry. 

 

Andromeda looks at Draco, who’s watching her curiously, and she knows that she must tell the truth. She thinks it’s what Tonks would’ve liked. 

 

“Tonks wasn’t a girl,” Andromeda tells Draco. “She wasn’t a boy, either. She was genderfluid, but went by she/her pronouns most of the time. It’s often a metamorphmagi thing, but not always.” 

 

Draco looks away, blinking. Andromeda can tell when someone’s overwhelmed, and now isn’t any different.

 

“Draco?” 

 

“I’m not a boy,” Draco says, and it spills out in a rush. Andromeda listens, knowing that she needs to be there for this person, Cissa’s child, who’s here and needs unconditional support from someone.

 

“I’m not a boy, I’m not a girl either, I just.” Draco pauses. “Don’t know what I am and it’s so confusing, everyone else has things figured out and I don’t know, I can’t seem to define myself even to myself, and it feels so uncomfortable.” 

 

Andromeda nods, walking towards Draco, extending her hands in an invitation for an embrace, which Draco accepts.

 

“You don’t need a label,” Andromeda says, softly but fiercely. “Human identities can rarely ever be boxed down or simplified, and something as complicated as gender is allowed to perplex you. You know that, don’t you, Draco? The way you’re feeling is fine. And whoever you are, whatever terms you use to define your identity, you know we’ll support you, right? Cissa and I care about you far too much for something like this to change that. You’ll always be her child, and I will always be your aunt. Okay?” 

 

Draco takes a deep breath. “Okay.” 

 

There’s a moment of silence, and then Draco says, slightly hesitant but with conviction, “I think I’d like to use they/them pronouns.” 

 

Andromeda gives them a smile. “Whatever feels right, darling. I’m going to make you some tea, okay?” 

 

Draco nods. Everything feels better than it has for a while – less complex, somehow. It’s as if, somehow, everything will be okay in the end. They’ve survived a war with Voldemort, and now they’re on the way to living with themself. Andi’s made the tea just how they like it. It’s going to be fine.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! hope you enjoyed, and feedback is always welcome <333


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